Comments on: Dealing with a deadbeat roommate

By: Eva

Eva — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:29:19 +0000

you’re really limited b/c he’s on the lease. i think the only way to you could get rid of him is if management kicks him out for late rent, i’m not sure there’s much you can actually do to get rid of him. sorry your roommate sucks.

By: bumrushed

bumrushed — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:47:38 +0000

Stuck with deadbeat named Jeff.
Complained about everything before he even moved in.
Unfortunately, he is on lease with me (I signed long-term, he was just added, but can leave with 30 day notice). He decides when he will pay hsi portion of rent, tried to change the contract when he signed it (even complained on lease that there was a spider in his room!!!). Management is on my side, but I know my recourse is limited. Can someone suggest best course of action? Thanks. AMB

By: Update on the deadbeat roomate

Update on the deadbeat roomate — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:53:43 +0000

[...] thanks for all your advice and support through the drama that is dealing with Q, our deadbeat roommate. Yup, that’s him above. If you see him in the DC area (that’s where he went) [...]

By: Lady D

Lady D — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:53:05 +0000

Wow, that’s just soo rude! If you saw him in the street would you have to refrain yourself from beating him down?
So what ever happened to the case?

By: Writer Vixen

Writer Vixen — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 04:33:17 +0000

Hi Eva –

As a landlord myself — and as a former renter with numerous crazy roommate stories (really, I should write a book!) — I know two things for sure:

1) You’ll win in Small Claims, but won’t be able to enforce collection. Your best bet is to see if you can get a collection agency to take it on. They’ll work it on a contingency, so they’ll keep a percentage IF they collect. But the main thing you’ll get out of it is that failure to collect the debt will be reported to credit agencies. And that’s the gift that keeps on giving! Even though you won’t personally know how it affects him, he’ll be reminded of you — and how he ran out on you — every time someone pulls his credit.

2) Even though you’re unlikely to recover any money from him, you should still absolutely pursue this. Attempting to hold him responsible for his behavior is the right thing to do, and it will allow you to put it to rest within your own mind.

Good luck! Keep us posted.

By: seher

seher — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 07:57:53 +0000

hey miss…

sorry about all this again. i got ripped for a sizeable amount by a peer about a year ago and wanted to take the person to small claims court. i did a bunch of research and basically what the first commenter said is true: although the court may rule in your favor, the court takes no responsibility for acting as a collection agency.

i’d think there would/should be a way to enforce payment (shit – put that fool in jail or something ) – but it doesn’t work like that. it can end up being a long iterative process of court dates and paperwork. a step from there would be trying to garnish wages and what not. personally, it hasn’t been worth my time so far – i have up to two years from the incident date to file in CA.

still, it haunts me on principle. so even if you end up not getting your money – inconvenience the shit out of that em eff for being a lame….if you have the patience and are willing to take the time. hope all works out in the end to your favor.

take care.
seher

By: Black Samantha Jones

Black Samantha Jones — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:37:09 +0000

Awww dag, I so feel your pain! I had a similar incident happen to me a few years back with my roommate whom, mind you, I had known since I was 8 or 9 years old!
This broad did the same exact thing, I was out of town on business and returned home to a nearly empty house! My first reaction was “OMG we’ve been robbed!” as I quickly checked for signs of a break-in and my finger on the 911 keys I quickly realized that all of HER stuff had been removed from the house. All of my things were intact the way I’d left them.
Not only had this chick decided to move out without any forewarning, but had the AUDACITY to send a threatening text msg 2 days later to say she would take LEGAL ACTION against me if I didn’t pay my half of the bills we shared that were in her name. WTF~is all I could think of! Perhaps if I had known she was going to be such a DEADBEAT ROOMMATE, I would have thought 2xs maybe even 3xs before moving in.
Lesson Learned: Try to live on your own, less headaches that way!

By: Eva

Eva — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:30:35 +0000

Aw man that’s not what I wanted to hear. I still think it’s worth a shot. Thanks for the comment!

By: Brandon St. Randy

Brandon St. Randy — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:26:17 +0000

Good luck. As someone who’s dealt with deadbeat tenants before, it’s a hassle. Small Claims Court is a hassle. In all truth, the likelihood of you seeing any money out of him is slim to none. If there’s a moral to the story, it’s that you have to underwrite anyone you go into a contract with being “jointly and severally liable.”